Wow, I'm a little surprised by the negative reactions here.
An imp could, for example, text me when the dryer cycle was done so that I could run upstairs and pull out my dress shirts before they got wrinkled (I'm usually out of earshot of the buzzer).
Really? A text message? *shrug*
My dryer (that I bought >5 years ago) has a little display with a count-down timer. I can set an alarm on my phone from the display on the dryer, if I don't want to miss the end of the cycle. No imp necessary, no text message necessary, no cloud necessary, no subscription fee necessary. (And if I *do* miss the end of the cycle, then I can just use that "touch-up" feature.)
This seems like an odd argument: we shouldn't make something a little easier because I have a make-shift solution that works in my situation because my device works a certain way that others don't.
What about other users with dryers that don't have a timer on them? Should that timer remain the pinnacle of dryer notification technology?
Question for EI "experts." Does the inclusion of EI in a device do more than just give information? Does it enable control? Could I fully control a clothes dryer remotely with EI, for example?
I'm currently in the process of automating my home. The biggest obstacle will be cost (ZWave is super expensive), but there are other obstacles. For example: there are no ZWave-enabled garage door openers (anymore - apparently there used to be). I would love to be able to remotely control these doors, or include them as triggers in my system (garage door goes up, turn on a light in the entrance).
I'd mostly like to be able to check if I put the door down after I left my house
So, home automation? Sure, this is where you might think there's a possible use, but how is the imp going to work with it? One imp per socket? (Ouch! $$$) Ok, so a gateway, Imp->X10...but why not just forego the imp and go straight to X10 with an IP gateway?
Ugh, because X10 is crap. Seriously, that is the worst automation technology. It's super cheap, but that's the one positive I can say about it. It's really susceptible to interference on power lines, has a lot of trouble jumping over phases (if your house has them), and any product that adds scene capability not only feels like it was designed in 1995, scenes just won't work well at all.
ZWave switches to a wireless mesh network for communication of devices, which makes it far more reliable than powerline. These devices, however, are very expensive, almost all costing at least $50. Assuming a base cost of $26, I wonder how much over that cost a similar device would be.
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